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It's being called the Great American Eclipse but Calgarians can get their own view of the stellar phenomenon when the moon blocks out the sun on Monday.

CBCNews.ca will bring you on-the-ground coverage from sites across North America via our live blog, kicking off at 9 a.m. MT. You can also follow along on Facebook and YouTube. CBC News is broadcasting a live special, hosted by Hannah Thibedeau, starting at 11 a.m. MT. Watch it on CBC News Network or live streamed on CBCNews.ca.

While a solar eclipse isn't all that rare, the eclipse taking place Aug. 21 will be the first total eclipse to cross the continental United States since 1918, says Don Hladiuk, a regular columnist on all things astronomical with the Calgary Eyeopener.

"So it's a long time since one has crossed the entire continent," Hladiuk said. "For a partial eclipse for Calgarians, the last one was in October of 2014. But this one is special because there's a totality phase to it."

When and where

Southern Albertans will have a better view of the eclipse than those in the northern part of the province.

Hladiuk said the eclipse is "all about geometry," and because of the angle of the moon, the eclipse will look more complete closer to the U.S. border.

"So for Calgary, at around 10:23 in the morning you'll start to see the first bite of the moon crossing the face of the sun," Hladiuk said.

Hladiuk said the entire event will last a bit more than two and a half hours and be wrapped up before 1 p.m.

A map of the the path of the Aug. 21, 2017, total solar eclipse, also called "The Great American Eclipse." (CBC News)

"Maximum eclipse for Calgary will happen around 11:33 in the morning, and you'll see 81 per cent of the sun covered, which is a pretty good blockage," Hladiuk said.